


Painting Over the Past

by nanaprincess91



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Female Friendship, Friendship, Healing, Minor Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Post-Tangled (2010), Road Trips, Set in Tangled series season 1, Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:54:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29806644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanaprincess91/pseuds/nanaprincess91
Summary: Naminé isn't used to being the center of attention in a positive way so when Kairi whisks her away on an unexpected surprise just for her, she has no clue what to expect. Maybe being the center of attention isn't always so bad.Fluffy sister-feels with special guests from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Kairi & Naminé (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Painting Over the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my friend, Vexary as a late Christmas present. 
> 
> Naminé is such a sweet character who deserves all the best, and who better to spoil her than her "sister." Also, I'm a huge sucker for Tangled, especially the series, so I couldn't resist including these characters. Besides, Naminé and Rapunzel both had too much in common not to include her. I hope you all enjoy it <3

“Kairi, where are we going?” 

“You’ll see. You’ve got to be patient.”

Naminé’s shoulders hunched. She should have expected that answer. Kairi did like her secrets, especially when they held an element of surprise. Naminé lifted her chin slowly, trying to sneak a glance below the blindfold.

“I saw that!” 

Naminé could only see Kairi’s waist down as she spun in her gummiship chair to run towards Naminé, pulling down her blindfold lower.

“You’re gonna make us crash if I have to keep getting up.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t get up all the time,” Naminé suggested sweetly.

“Naminé, it’s not a surprise if you know.” Kairi’s exasperation was fake, Naminé could tell. Her voice was laced with humor and she giggled as she returned to her seat. “Besides, we’re almost there.” 

Sure enough, the ship lurched as Kairi reduced their speed. Naminé gripped the armrests as her stomach rose to her throat. She always hated the descents.

There was a tingle of magic as the gummiship went invisible. “Stealth mode time,” Kairi said in a gruff voice.

It shook Naminé out of her nerves, her fingers relaxing their grip on the seats. “Who is that supposed to be?” she asked with a laugh.

“I’m Leon,” Kairi said again, voice comically low with rigid stoicism. “Join my Restoration Committee.”

Naminé laughed again. “Kairi! Be nice!”

She joined Naminé’s laugh before responding normally, “I don’t mean it in a mean way!” Her voice went deep again as she faux-scowled, “We’re here.”

Naminé snorted, rolling her eyes. The ship settled wherever they had landed and Naminé went to remove her blindfold, before once again, Kairi’s hands stopped her.

“Kairi!”

But this time, Kairi didn’t answer. She placed Naminé’s bag in her hand, helping her place it across her shoulders and guiding her towards what she assumed was the door. The door opened and the sound of songbirds filled Naminé’s ears. There was a soft rustle of a breeze through greenery and a soft smell of something flowery.

The blindfold fell away and Naminé found herself in a sea of purple. All around her, bright lilac flowers swayed to a wind, covering everything in their beauty. A meadow, Above her, a blue sky welcomed them to this new world. It was clear this space was a small reprieve in a lush forest filled with wildlife; it was free of the sound of humanity, birds of all sorts sang, somewhere, Naminé swore she could hear water running.. 

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Corona.”

“This is beautiful,” Naminé gasped, dropping to her knees to run her fingers along the petals of one of the flowers. 

“Isn’t it?” Kairi looked out beside her, lacing her hands behind her back. Her eyes were focused on something Naminé couldn’t see, a fixed point. Naminé could’ve sworn there was a slight sheen to Kairi’s eyes, a film of water. “Sora told me about this world. He promised to take me here.”

Naminé looked up at Kairi. What could she say to ease her pain? She couldn’t imagine how devastating it was, to finally confess your feelings, to be reunited, only to be torn away again, seemingly forever.

Naminé reached up and squeezed Kairi’s hand. 

Kairi finally looked away from the distance and smiled softly down at Naminé. She returned the squeeze. “I’m okay. We’re going to find him. And then he can take me here too...” She cleared her throat and pulled Naminé to her feet. “Besides, this day is about you. I wanted to bring you here.”

Naminé looked at the flowers again, the way they created a blanket leading down a gentle slope. It was perfect.Naminé unlatched the mechanism in her bag, her fingers itching to grab the crayons and new pencils to sketch the field, to capture the memory of the colors and this moment forever by her hand. 

“It really is beautiful. I could stay here forever.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Kairi smirked playfully. “But this isn’t our final destination.” She stretched her arms high above her. “I’ll race you down the hill!”

Naminé barely had time to stand before Kairi was already weaving down the slide of flowers, a blur of pink in flowing streams of purple.

Naminé giggled before following her lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naminé took a step forward on the cobblestone bridge. Ahead, the city of Corona shone, a speckled island of green and sandstone on a sea of sapphire, beautiful and bustling. Guards in red nodded their head at their entry into town. They walked through the main street, up the hill.

“Where are we going?” Naminé asked Kairi for what felt like the hundredth time after a couple of minutes.

“Naminé, I swear,” Kairi said with an exasperated sigh interspaced with a laugh. “Just wait- Oh! We’re here!”

The road had opened up to a large plaza.

“Now we just need to find-”

“Kairi!” 

Naminé turned towards a bright voice. A beautiful young woman waved from the edge of a fountain, but what stood out the most was the long golden hair in a wide braid nearly brushing the floor. 

“Rapunzel?” Kairi said, running forward. Naminé followed her lead.

They both were swiftly wrapped in tight, unexpected hugs; Naminé tensed at the sudden surge of physical affection. The hug didn’t last long though and Rapunzel pulled away, laughing. 

Kairi looked as comfortable as ever, beaming. “It’s so good to finally meet you. Sora described you differently.” She pointed at her hair. “I thought I heard something about a haircut.”

Rapunzel chuckled nervously, suddenly not meeting their eyes and shrugging her shoulders. “Oh, well, it’s a long story.” 

“We’ve got time,” Kairi said, clearly intrigued. 

Naminé looked behind Rapunzel, noticing an enormous mosaic on the side of a building, the centerpiece of the plaza despite the beautiful fountain. A proud pair of monarchs held a baby with flowing golden hair and green eyes. She glanced back at Rapunzel.

“Is that you?”

Rapunzel laughed and nodded eagerly. “Yes, I’m Rapunzel.” She made some circular motions with her hands. “I’m kind of the princess of Corona, but that’s a whole other story.”

“An adventure,” Kairi said with a grin. 

“I’m Naminé,” she said back with a shy smile. 

“My sister,” Kairi clarified, wrapping an arm around her. “And I’m Kairi.”

“Yes, I heard _a lot_ about you from Sora,” Rapunzel said, a twinkle in her eyes. “Is he with you? It’s been ages since he came back!”

Kairi’s face fell for a split second. “No, he’s...busy today.” 

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Rapunzel said with a frown. “He promised he’d come visit again.”

Naminé noticed Kairi’s discomfort at the lie and the ensuing silence. It was up to her to break it. 

“How’d you know it was us?” she asked, hoping to steer the direction of the conversation away from their missing friend.

“You two don’t exactly fit in.”

Naminé looked towards a person she had completely overlooked, assuming her to be a bodyguard. With her dark outfit, another young woman stood almost as the polar opposite to Rapunzel’s cheery demeanor. She was taller with short and messy dark hair, hazel eyes that looked over Naminé and Kairi with distrust. She had a knife at her hip, and a hand poised lightly at her side. But Naminé knew that stance. It was one she had seen in members of the Organization before- a faux-relaxed pose, but ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

“Oh don’t mind Cass,” Rapunzel said with a smile, taking a step towards the girls. “You look fine.” She tapped her chin. “Although I guess you do look like visitors.” She clapped her hands. “Oh! I didn’t introduce you.” 

She got behind the other young woman and pushed her forward by the shoulders. 

“Raps!” the other woman yelled waving off the princess’s hands.

Rapunzel just giggled and returned to her side, proudly. “This is Cass, my best friend!” 

Cass crossed her arms. “Welcome to Corona.” 

Her tone was not very welcoming. Rapunzel noticed it immediately and waved it off. “It’s fine. She’s fine. She’s always a big frowny face sometimes.”

Cass sighed. “Raps, you’ve got that meeting-”

“Right right,” Rapunzel took Naminé’s hands. “Follow me. You’re going to _love_ this.”

With a high-pitched squeal, Rapunzel pulled Naminé through the busy streets. Naminé let out a short shriek of surprise before running to keep pace. Despite Rapunzel’s overwhelming and unexpected enthusiasm, Naminé couldn’t help but smile, taking in the bright colors of the city as she was pulled through the streets: the purples of cloth banners and golden sun decals everywhere, potted flowers from balconies and the smell of fresh bread. Occasionally, one of the side roads would open to reveal the glimmering sea surrounding the kingdom.

Finally, Rapunzel stopped. It was a sleepy plaza, not in a dark and secluded sort of way, but like the hidden corners of Twilight Town, illuminated by an ever present sunset. 

“Tada!” Rapunzel said, letting go of Naminé’s hands and throwing hers in the air in front of a bare building. There was no doorway, no windows. Nothing.

Naminé nodded slowly, trying not to let her confusion show.

“Wow, you’re fast. It’s a mural,” Kairi said from behind her, breathing heavily. “Or...it will be.”

“A mural?” Naminé asked quietly, looking at the bare wall. 

“Kairi told me that you paint,” Rapunzel said, her voice no longer cheery, but soft and understanding. “She told me about you being locked up-”

Naminé whirled in place to look at the other three girls; she didn’t like anyone to know. Kairi knew that. She **knew** that.

“I understand,” Rapunzel said with a sad smile, noticing Naminé’s expression. “I was locked up for almost 18 years in a tower by a woman who pretended to love me. She told me she was the only one who would care for me.” She stepped forward and touched the bare wall. “I painted every inch of that tower to make it mine, you know? It made me feel less alone.”

Naminé looked at Rapunzel with wide-eyes. She remembered the way coloring and drawing felt like the only thing that belonged to her, something she could make her own. She could create realities that weren’t bright, blinding white cages, create places where she had friends and people who came to rescue her and wanted to show her the world. A way to add color to a prison she felt had no escape.

Naminé nodded and swallowed with difficulty. “Yes, I know.”

“This plaza needs color and life,” Rapunzel said, outstretching her hand which held a paintbrush now, sticking it out in front of her, one eye squinting as she measured it. 

“You want me to help you paint it?” Naminé said, heart feeling lighter.

“No,” Rapunzel said before smiling and handing her the paintbrush. “I want you to make it yours. Something tells me you’ve got a lot to share.”

Naminé looked down at the paintbrush and then at the large wall- no- the large canvas in front of her. All hers. She didn’t realize there were tears pricking her eyes until she looked up at the others. She wrapped her arms around Rapunzel and squeezed before letting go and throwing herself into Kairi’s arms.

“Don’t cry,” Kairi said, sniffling with a laugh. “You’re making me cry.”

“Good,” Naminé said, burying her face in Kairi’s shoulder.

She let go and looked at Cass.

“No hugs from me.” Cass said. But she reached over and patted Naminé’s head once. 

Naminé ran back up to the wall, running her fingers along it, feeling the texture.

“I’ve got some paints here already,” Rapunzel said. “But I know it’s a big project so you can come back whenever to work on it. There’s no need to rush it.” She paused. “And if you ever want to talk about everything that happened, I’m a pretty good listener.”

“She’s not,” Cass said.

“I am!” Rapunzel shot back, pouting. She looked back at Naminé. “Or I can be.”

Naminé giggled quietly once before nodding. “Thank you.” It would be nice, to finally have someone who understood the conflicting emotions, the fears of never leaving somewhere and yet the safety of having a small place to hide.

“Do you like it?” Kairi whispered.

Naminé nodded again. “I love it.”

A space to draw to her heart’s content, no longer hidden away in the pages of a sketchbook. Naminé looked up at this new page, brilliant in the Corona sun and drew her sketchbook out of her satchel.

She would make it her masterpiece. 


End file.
